Moxon was a publishing company that made its mark publishing a few different periodicals during the early Victorian era (Ostrom). Edward Moxon and his company published volumes of poetry by individual poets as their main source of marketing. The edition in study features Winthrop Mackworth Praed, a Romantic poet and political scholar of his time. It is difficult to tell if this is the only edition that featured Praed or if multiple editions were printed. This particular copy, however, was printed in 1866, long after Praed’s death. It was perhaps printed during this time because of the potential interest Victorians had in Praed's poetry.
The book itself seems to be very well worn throughout time, but maintains its gilded, heavily decorated cover and spine. There are some personal markings left inside the front page of the book, likely by an early owner, as the inscription is dated to July of 1866. Illustrations decorate every heading before each poem begins, most of which are small and simple floral embellishments. Every page neatly borders the text with black lines. The body of the book is rather small roughly six by five inches and about an inch thick, indicating that it could have been meant for use as a pocket book or something similar. There is a preface before Praed’s poetry begins, written by Sir George Young, who like Praed, attended Trinity College at Cambridge (Moxon & Co., title page). Along with the preface, a table of contents lists the poetry included. Much of what is in this collection of Praed’s poetry is most of what verse he wrote; Young writes in his preface that not a lot of Praed’s poetry was published before this volume was released (Moxon & Co., v-xxviii).
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Spine of the Book
Front Cover
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About the Publisher
Edward Moxon was a publisher as well as a poet who lived during the earlier part of the Victorian era, before he died in 1858. Born in 1801, Moxon apprenticed as a bookseller for much of his early life, starting at the age of nine (Ostrom). Moxon published his first book of verse while he was working with a publishing firm called Longmans in 1826 (Ostrom). Moxon moved from Wakefield to London in 1817 in order to work as a publisher. He joined Longmans in 1821 (Ostrom). Moxon created his own firm in 1830, and moved toward publishing periodicals with submissions from poets such as William Kennedy, Alfred Tennyson, and Charles Lamb, among others (Ostrom).
Although Moxon’s periodical successes were short lived, he worked with many poets, publishing volumes of their work into books (Ostrom). This edition of Moxon’s Miniature Poets, featuring works from Winthrop Mackworth Praed, is one of many examples. Other books in this series include works from Alfred Tennyson, Robert Browning, Frederick Locker, William Wordsworth, and others (Moxon & Co., final page).
Inside Cover Inscription
About the Poet
Winthrop Mackworth Praed was a poet and politician who lived from 1802 to 1839 (Harling). Praed came from an “old family” with very wealthy roots, as his father was wealthy enough to own a house in London as well as an estate in Devon (Harling). Praed stood out among his peers, and attended Eton College from 1814 until 1821, and made himself significant (Harling). He dominated scholarly journals such as the ‘Apis Matina’ and The Etonian, in which he published articles as well as poetry (Harling). Praed left Eton College to continue his studies at Trinity College in Cambridge, where his career would continue to be just as successful as Eton (Harling). Among other academic awards, Praed won four medals for Greek odes and epigrams as well as two medals for English parody (Harling). Although Praed was not a Victorian poet, it is curious as to why Moxon would have published a volume of Praed's work in 1866. It is possible that Praed's writing affected Victorian society and people were interested in reading his work.
As well as being an eloquent writer, Winthrop Mackworth Praed was often a “witty and offhand” public speaker in political debates (Harling). His ease of mastering many subjects and his self-confidence labeled Praed as a “Legend” to Cambridge (Harling). Praed moved toward a legal career in London around 1829, but continued to write poetry as well (Harling). Many of his poems were politically charged, as is clear in some of his satirical verses (Harling).
A good example of Praed and his political, satirical humor can be seen in a work titled “The New Order of Things” (Praed, 116). Praed uses the verses of this poem to target the political issues during his lifetime. It is possible that Victorian readers were attracted to Praed's work because it was relatable to societal or personal issues of their time. Select verses are as follows:
We’re sick of this distressing state
Of order and repose;
We have not had enough of late
Of blunders or of blows;
We can’t endure to pass our life
In such a humdrum way;
We want a little pleasant strife:
The Whigs are in to-day!
…
We used to fancy Englishmen
Had broken Europe’s chain,
And won a battle now and then
Against the French in Spain;
Oh no! we never ruled the waves,
Whatever people say;
We’ve all been despicable slaves:
The Whigs are in to-day!
…
Go pluck the jewels from the crown,
The colours from the mast;
And let the three per cents come down,
We can but break at last;
If Cobbett is the first of men
The second is Lord Grey;
Oh must we not be happy when
The Whigs are in to-day!
(Praed, 116-118, stanzas 1,3,7)
This poem is a useful example of Praed’s political awareness and his use of satirical and ironic tones, such as the first line, which reads "we're sick of this distressing state / of order and repose" (stanza 1). The way in which Praed writes these verses as if they voice a call to action toward his readers; the way Praed uses phrases such as “we’re sick…we have… we can’t…we want” (stanza 1) alludes to the audience as a sort of active revolutionary crowd. It is difficult to tell whether Praed is calling for English nationalism or if he is attacking the sense of the word; with the lines “oh no! we never ruled the waves, whatever people say” (stanza 3) speaks in a way that makes the audience question what Praed is trying to say. The poem's stanzas consist of eight lines each, with an "ABABCDCD" rhyme scheme, which makes the poem feel very rhythmic and structured. When read aloud, the poem sounds like a march or a speech, further exemplifying Praed's use of political irony or satire.
This book is an interesting one in the way that it provides readers with a lot of Praed’s previously unpublished poetry, which allows readers to get a glimpse of the person he was. Tragically, Praed died far too young, and would have left a much larger legacy toward the Victorian era had he not died so early. However, the verses that Praed leaves behind provides a legacy of their own; Praed, with the help of Edward Moxon, shows the audience a hidden side to a politically driven character. This book, although at times, sadly forgotten to readers today, leaves behind a very important legacy from years ago.
Praed, Winthrop Mackworth. Moxon's Miniature Poets. A Selection From the Works of Winthrop Mackworth Praed. London; Edward Moxon & Co.,1866. Print. University of Victoria call number: PR5189 P7A6
Images are taken of UVic's copy of Moxon's Miniature Poets and are copyright to J.E.Engl386.UVic.Spring2016.
Moxon's Miniature Poets, Featuring Winthrop Mackworth Praed
General Information
Moxon was a publishing company that made its mark publishing a few different periodicals during the early Victorian era (Ostrom). Edward Moxon and his company published volumes of poetry by individual poets as their main source of marketing. The edition in study features Winthrop Mackworth Praed, a Romantic poet and political scholar of his time. It is difficult to tell if this is the only edition that featured Praed or if multiple editions were printed. This particular copy, however, was printed in 1866, long after Praed’s death. It was perhaps printed during this time because of the potential interest Victorians had in Praed's poetry.The book itself seems to be very well worn throughout time, but maintains its gilded, heavily decorated cover and spine. There are some personal markings left inside the front page of the book, likely by an early owner, as the inscription is dated to July of 1866. Illustrations decorate every heading before each poem begins, most of which are small and simple floral embellishments. Every page neatly borders the text with black lines. The body of the book is rather small roughly six by five inches and about an inch thick, indicating that it could have been meant for use as a pocket book or something similar. There is a preface before Praed’s poetry begins, written by Sir George Young, who like Praed, attended Trinity College at Cambridge (Moxon & Co., title page). Along with the preface, a table of contents lists the poetry included. Much of what is in this collection of Praed’s poetry is most of what verse he wrote; Young writes in his preface that not a lot of Praed’s poetry was published before this volume was released (Moxon & Co., v-xxviii).
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About the Publisher
Edward Moxon was a publisher as well as a poet who lived during the earlier part of the Victorian era, before he died in 1858. Born in 1801, Moxon apprenticed as a bookseller for much of his early life, starting at the age of nine (Ostrom). Moxon published his first book of verse while he was working with a publishing firm called Longmans in 1826 (Ostrom). Moxon moved from Wakefield to London in 1817 in order to work as a publisher. He joined Longmans in 1821 (Ostrom). Moxon created his own firm in 1830, and moved toward publishing periodicals with submissions from poets such as William Kennedy, Alfred Tennyson, and Charles Lamb, among others (Ostrom).Although Moxon’s periodical successes were short lived, he worked with many poets, publishing volumes of their work into books (Ostrom). This edition of Moxon’s Miniature Poets, featuring works from Winthrop Mackworth Praed, is one of many examples. Other books in this series include works from Alfred Tennyson, Robert Browning, Frederick Locker, William Wordsworth, and others (Moxon & Co., final page).
About the Poet
Winthrop Mackworth Praed was a poet and politician who lived from 1802 to 1839 (Harling). Praed came from an “old family” with very wealthy roots, as his father was wealthy enough to own a house in London as well as an estate in Devon (Harling). Praed stood out among his peers, and attended Eton College from 1814 until 1821, and made himself significant (Harling). He dominated scholarly journals such as the ‘Apis Matina’ and The Etonian, in which he published articles as well as poetry (Harling). Praed left Eton College to continue his studies at Trinity College in Cambridge, where his career would continue to be just as successful as Eton (Harling). Among other academic awards, Praed won four medals for Greek odes and epigrams as well as two medals for English parody (Harling). Although Praed was not a Victorian poet, it is curious as to why Moxon would have published a volume of Praed's work in 1866. It is possible that Praed's writing affected Victorian society and people were interested in reading his work.As well as being an eloquent writer, Winthrop Mackworth Praed was often a “witty and offhand” public speaker in political debates (Harling). His ease of mastering many subjects and his self-confidence labeled Praed as a “Legend” to Cambridge (Harling). Praed moved toward a legal career in London around 1829, but continued to write poetry as well (Harling). Many of his poems were politically charged, as is clear in some of his satirical verses (Harling).
A good example of Praed and his political, satirical humor can be seen in a work titled “The New Order of Things” (Praed, 116). Praed uses the verses of this poem to target the political issues during his lifetime. It is possible that Victorian readers were attracted to Praed's work because it was relatable to societal or personal issues of their time. Select verses are as follows:
We’re sick of this distressing state
Of order and repose;
We have not had enough of late
Of blunders or of blows;
We can’t endure to pass our life
In such a humdrum way;
We want a little pleasant strife:
The Whigs are in to-day!
…
We used to fancy Englishmen
Had broken Europe’s chain,
And won a battle now and then
Against the French in Spain;
Oh no! we never ruled the waves,
Whatever people say;
We’ve all been despicable slaves:
The Whigs are in to-day!
…
Go pluck the jewels from the crown,
The colours from the mast;
And let the three per cents come down,
We can but break at last;
If Cobbett is the first of men
The second is Lord Grey;
Oh must we not be happy when
The Whigs are in to-day!
(Praed, 116-118, stanzas 1,3,7)
This poem is a useful example of Praed’s political awareness and his use of satirical and ironic tones, such as the first line, which reads "we're sick of this distressing state / of order and repose" (stanza 1). The way in which Praed writes these verses as if they voice a call to action toward his readers; the way Praed uses phrases such as “we’re sick…we have… we can’t…we want” (stanza 1) alludes to the audience as a sort of active revolutionary crowd. It is difficult to tell whether Praed is calling for English nationalism or if he is attacking the sense of the word; with the lines “oh no! we never ruled the waves, whatever people say” (stanza 3) speaks in a way that makes the audience question what Praed is trying to say. The poem's stanzas consist of eight lines each, with an "ABABCDCD" rhyme scheme, which makes the poem feel very rhythmic and structured. When read aloud, the poem sounds like a march or a speech, further exemplifying Praed's use of political irony or satire.
This book is an interesting one in the way that it provides readers with a lot of Praed’s previously unpublished poetry, which allows readers to get a glimpse of the person he was. Tragically, Praed died far too young, and would have left a much larger legacy toward the Victorian era had he not died so early. However, the verses that Praed leaves behind provides a legacy of their own; Praed, with the help of Edward Moxon, shows the audience a hidden side to a politically driven character. This book, although at times, sadly forgotten to readers today, leaves behind a very important legacy from years ago.
Works Cited
Philip Harling, ‘Praed, Winthrop Mackworth (1802–1839)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009 [http://www.oxforddnb.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/view/article/22696, accessed 13 Feb 2016]
Hans Ostrom, ‘Moxon, Edward (bap. 1801, d. 1858)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 2014 [http://www.oxforddnb.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/view/article/19463, accessed 13 Feb 2016]
Praed, Winthrop Mackworth. Moxon's Miniature Poets. A Selection From the Works of Winthrop Mackworth Praed. London; Edward Moxon & Co.,1866. Print. University of Victoria call number: PR5189 P7A6
Images are taken of UVic's copy of Moxon's Miniature Poets and are copyright to J.E.Engl386.UVic.Spring2016.
Article written by J.E.Engl386.UVic.Spring2016